


Family (2015 rewrite)

by JunkiesBaddyPowder



Category: Take That (Band)
Genre: M/M, alternative universe, willowen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-17 23:50:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5889898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JunkiesBaddyPowder/pseuds/JunkiesBaddyPowder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A somewhat ridiculous and flufly willowen romcom. AU. Is not easy for Rob to be accepted in the Donage family. (Set in the late '80s/early '90s. In this A.U. Robbie and Mark are the same age, 16 y.o., Gary is around 19 or 20, Jason and Howard are 40-something).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wrote this back in 2012 (I think), based on something I wrote on Tumblr, and the response I got from another tumblr user. The post was deleted, but it was something like this: "If TT were a family, Jason and Howard would be the dads, Mark would be their little son, and Robbie would be Mark's rebel boyfriend... but who would Gary be?" and the other tumblr user's response was something like: "He'd be the good boy next door that Jason wants Mark to date instead of Robbie".  
> Based on that, I wrote this wonderful piece of junk that I'm so fond of to re-write 3 years later.
> 
> Disclaimer: This story is purely fictional and crack as hell.

_Pump up the jam, pump it up_

_While your feet are stompin'_

_And the jam is pumpin'_

_Look ahead the crowd is jumpin'_

Robbie loved to watch Mark dance. The boy really got lost in the music, no matter how lame it was. The dance floor was almost empty, being so early in the evening, and a Monday, so Rob got a very good view from where he stood, at the bar, holding two glasses of beer.

As he approached his dancing boyfriend he wished Mark’s fathers let him stay with him the whole night. Howard was alright, he never tried to interfere in their relationship. He even seemed to like Rob, but Jason… Robbie was sure Jason hated him. No matter how many jokes he told him, or how charming he tried to be, Jason never even smiled at him. Of course he understood Jason was only worried about his son’s well being, but Rob was sure he never gave him any reason to think Mark was in danger when they were together. Not a _real_ danger, anyway.

Robbie really wanted to move on to the next level with his Markie, but he didn’t want to rush things and end up fucking in the back seat of his car. Mark deserved a different treatment. He wanted to take him to a nice hotel and make love to him all night long, but Mark’s dads never gave them the opportunity, so Rob started to think the back seat of his car would have to do.

He handed Mark one glass of icy beer.

“Ey… are you trying to get me wasted, Mr. Williams?”

“Maybe...” Rob closed the distance between them, sliding one arm around Mark’s waist.

“So you can have your way with me in the back seat of your car?”

Robbie blinked a few times “Are you psychic or something?”

“You know, I wouldn’t mind that”. Mark smiled and kept dancing in that sexy, cheap way Robbie loved, rubbing his hips against his to the rhythm of Technotronic's music.

“You sure?”

Mark slung his arms around Rob’s neck. Their foreheads touched, and Robbie could see the determination in Mark’s eyes. He kissed him.

“Alright, let’s go then, we don’t have much time. Thank your dads for that” Rob said, pushing Mark to the exit.

“Ey, what did you said about me dads?”

………………..

They were kissing, right in front of the car. Desperate, clumsy kisses, and hands everywhere. Mark tried to feel calm, but there was this strange feeling in his belly. Maybe he was a bit scared after all. Not of his Rob, that’s for sure, but to have his first time… in a car? Right there on the street, where anybody could see them? And what about the police? Mark envied those who would find these possibilities thrilling, but for him they were a total turn off. He could sense that Rob wasn’t quite alright either.

“What is it?” he asked Robbie after breaking the kiss.

“Mark, I… I don’t even have lube in there” he gestured at the car. “This isn’t right.”

“Oh, come on, Rob, it's not like we have that many options. Me, I’m not picky. This will do. It’s fine. It’ll be fine.” He smiled, and Robbie’s eyes lit up. He opened the car’s door and invited Mark in… though it wasn’t the back seat door he opened, but the passenger’s seat. Mark entered quite puzzled and then Robbie seated next to him and started the engine.

“W… where are we going?” Mark started to feel excited: maybe Rob would take him to a more intimate place.

“I’m taking you home, Markie. It’s almost time anyway”.

“But..”

Mark stood silent for the rest of the short drive up to his house. Surely his boyfriend tried to do what was best for him, but he felt disappointed nonetheless. Disappointed, and a bit rejected.

When they arrived Mark mumbled a quick goodbye and got out of the car without looking back at Robbie.

“Oy!” Robbie exited the car and reached out to grab Mark’s hand “I’m not saying goodnight to you, yet.”

“Uh?”

Robbie got closer and kissed his lips, delicately, holding his face in his hands like he was the most precious thing in the universe. “Well, aren’t you gonna invite me in?”.

  


……………

  


“He's here?” asked Jason’s voice from upstairs.

“He's here!” answered Howard, who was peeping out the window. “Uh oh…”

“What is it?” Howard could hear the preoccupation in Jason’s voice.

“Uh, nothing, just that… they’re coming together.”

Howard left the mugs of tea he was holding on the nearest table and run to open the door before his husband did, but Jason got there first.

“Oh, good evening, Sir! Here we are, eleven o’clock, just as you ordered, Sir!” Robbie said staring at his watch, still holding hands with Mark, who chuckled behind him.

Jason didn’t like the mock in Rob’s tone, not even one bit, but he was thankful they weren’t late this time.

“It's good to see you are wearing a watch, now. Goodnight, Robert.”

“Oh, are you going to bed so early, sir?”

Robbie entered the house quite confidently, and Mark started to giggle. “Mr. Donald.” Robbie nodded at Howard.

“Hello.” Howard looked as puzzled as his husband. “Are you staying, Rob?”

“Yes, thank you, sir.”

Robbie sat on the living room’s couch, and turned tv on, with Mark at his side.

“Oh, don’t worry about me, I won’t be a bother. We will be watching telly here with Markie, so you can keep doing whatever you were doing. We might make us a sandwich or something, later, a bit of a midnight snack, cause I don’t know Mark but me I’m starving, and then we will go to bed, I think.” And he finished the sentence with a smile.

Howard stared at him and couldn’t help but smile back. This kid might be a cheeky little bastard, he thought, but he’s funny. He grabbed the mugs of tea he forgot on the table and handed one to Jason.

“Umm,Robert, are you planning to stay here… the _whole_ night?” Jason grabbed the mug so tightly Howard thought it was going to break.

“He can stay in my room. We won’t make much noise, promise”. Mark tried to sound as innocent as possible.

“Oh, sure you won’t.” said Howard, suppressing giggles himself.

“Howard, can I have a word with you?”

Jason dragged his husband to the kitchen, and stared at him disconcerted.

“What exactly do you think they will do if we let them alone in Mark’s bedroom?”

“Have sex, of course. But Jay, " Howard held his husband closely “that will happen anyway. And it's better for Mark if they’re here, in his own… environment, rather than in some cheap motel room, or the back seat of a car, or a dirty alley...”

“Alright, alright, I got it. Just stop putting all those images in my head, please.” Jason said, and after a moment he smiled. “My first time with a lad was in the Men’s room of some night club”.

“See? And it wasn’t very nice, I bet.”

“No, it wasn’t. It was quite… rough, and rushed...” Jason shook his head. “I guess you’re right. I wouldn’t mind if he did it with some other boy, but this _Robbie_ … I swear, if he…”

“Jay, if he does something wrong to Mark, I’ll take care of him”. Howard tried to sound menacing.

“I take your word”.

They both smiled.

“But, you know, it's just this kid; he gets on my nerves, he really, _really_ does.”

“I know” Howard kissed Jason and looked at him warmly. “Why can't he be just like Gary?”

………………


	2. Chapter 2

  


“Don’t touch the liquor cabinet, alright?” Jason warned them as he went upstairs with Howard. “Good night, Mark”.

“Good night, daddy Jay!”

“Good night, Mr. Orange, Sir!”

“Good night, kids”.

“Good night, daddy How!”

“Good night, Mark's not-so-hostile dad!”

Howard chuckled at the insolence, and both parents disappeared from their sight.

Not one second later, Robbie was all over Mark. Their kisses were slow, though, just like their hands; there was no hurry now.

Robbie’s lips travelled half open though the exposed skin of Mark’s neck, kissing, nibbling. Mark’s hands slipped under Robbie’s hoodie and shirt, caressing his sides with the tip of his fingers, drawing invisible circles, making Robbie shiver; he was quite hard by now, and started to thrust his hips against Mark’s crotch. Mark opened his legs to allow better access, and moaned delighted when their erections touched through their clothes.

“ _Shh_ … Remember, we must be _very quiet_ ” Robbie whispered, though he giggled against Mark’s neck.

“Then stop giggling!” Mark whispered back, then he licked Robbie’s earlobe.

“Oh yeah, do that again…”

Mark kept sucking and licking at Robbie’s ear, until Rob decided to slip a hand under Mark’s t-shirt and play with his nipples, leaving Mark unable to perform any action for a while. Seeing this, Rob lifted Mark’s shirt and started licking and lightly sucking at his nipples, until Mark had to stop him.

“God… Rob… _please_ …” Mark panted.

“Can we go to your room, now?”

Mark nodded, breathless.

He took Rob’s hand in his to lead him to his room, and Rob pulled Mark’s hand to his crotch, smiling wickedly. Mark stroked Rob’s erection skilfully through his jeans, making him gasp. Already in his room, Mark closed the door with his free hand and started to undo Robbie’s pants.

He already knew Robbie’s cock very well, and knew how to work it. He went to his knees, wetted his lips and took it in his mouth, inch by inch, to the hilt, allowing it to slip through his throat. He moved slowly, making enough pressure with his lips, and sucking deeply at the head, playing with his tongue at the slit.

Rob had his head thrown back and his mouth half open, breathing fast. He wished he could let go and cum in that precious mouth, but this was THE night, and he wanted to do so many things. With this thought in mind he eased himself out of Mark’s mouth.

They undressed clumsily, smiling and staring devotedly at their naked bodies. They both sighed at the same time, then burst in laughter, falling over the small bed.

“ _Shhhh_!!”

“Oh, yeah, _sshh_!” Robbie whispered dramatically, then he kissed Mark deeply before saying in an almost broken voice: “If you could have the slightest idea of how special you are… God, I'm so in love with you, Mark.”

“Aww, Rob…” Mark stared into Robbie's eyes; they were so wide, stripped; he could see that spark of innocence that no one else seemed to notice, no one but him. “I love you so very much.”

“And your cock loves me, too! Look, it’s leaking, just for me.”

Mark chuckled, but he had to admit he was right. Rob took him in his hand, and stroked slowly, making him melt against the mattress.

“Do you have...” he asked, kissing Mark’s belly.

“Yeah, there, in the drawer; and there’s a small bottle of lube, too. The one I use when I… you know, do stuff to myself.”

“Oh, you naughty!” Robbie reached for said lube, and poured some on his hand. “Now brace yourself, dear Markie.”

Before Mark could say something funny to disguise his nerviousness, Rob started to lick his cock, just below the head; swift moves of his tongue, making Mark’s legs tremble. Robbie took Mark's cock firmly with a lubed hand, stroking it slowly. Mark grabbed the sheets, and then Rob’s mouth enclosed the glans, sucking frantically, delighted with his taste, moaning, making Mark’s cock get even fuller and harder.

Mark bit his lips and tried to stay silent, breathing deeply and fast through his nose; he knew if he opened his mouth he would wake up not only his dads, but the whole neighborhood. When Robbie cupped his balls with that lubed hand, he covered his mouth with a fist, and bit his own flesh to mumble his moans. Then Rob’s slick hand started to caress that little special part of his body between his balls and his asshole, drawing circles with his slippery thumb. Mark started to feel a different kind of arousal, deep inside. He was now quite relaxed. Rob’s sucking became softer and slower, while his fingers travelled lower, circling the puckered skin.

  


……………..

  


The first lubed finger entered quite easily, and so did the second one. Robbie stopped sucking Mark’s cock and smiled.

“Is that alright?” he arched his fingers. Mark’s mouth opened in a silent “O”, and his cock twitched.

“…God, yeah…” he finally answered.

“Have you done this before, I mean fingering yourself?” Robbie moved his fingers in and out, slowly, and watched Mark’s reaction.

“Maybe…” Mark opened his eyes, giving Rob a dirty look, and added “You should let me finger you some time, you’ll love it”.

Robbie had never let anyone get even close to his ass. He wasn’t into _that_ sort of thing, but he had to admit Mark’s offer tempted him.

“Well, I might let you, one day” he kissed Mark’s cock. “But don’t forget: I’m a well hard bloke, alright?”.

Mark laughed. “Sure, sure... Oh, God, yeah…!” Robbie was moving and twisting his fingers rapidly inside of him, drawing shapes, hitting nerves, touching and rubbing that one special spot that Mark loved. He arched his back and bit his lip not to scream.

“You like it there, don’t you?” Rob tested this spot, watching mesmerized how Mark’s lithe body moved and trembled, glistering in the half dark with sweat.

He tried adding a third finger. Mark hissed.

“Did that hurt?”

“…N-no, just burns a little, but feels so good... _Please_ , move them faster!” Robbie obliged, and started to touch his own neglected cock, though he did it slowly, afraid he might cum right then and there. He had to use all of his self control not to; he never felt so aroused in his entire life.

“God, Rob… Please, just fuck me… _Please_ …”

“Ok… ok.” Robbie withdrew his fingers and reached for a condom. He put it on with shaky hands, and discovered he was quite nervous. He positioned himself between Mark’s legs, held his cock with a hand and pushed in tentatively, feeling how that hot, tight body swallowed him in. Mark flinched, so Rob covered his face with kisses.

“Sorry, sorry!”

“I’m alright” Mark smiled to prove it “, It's just that... you’re so bloody huge!” he said, mostly to please Rob.

Robbie smiled proudly and gave him a long kiss. He felt how Mark’s inner muscles relaxed little by little, and soon the full length of his cock slid in with no further resistance. He started to move. He tried slow, deep thrusts, but soon discovered that Mark preferred quick, small ones, especially when he changed his position, putting Mark’s legs over his shoulders, and moved in a certain angle, hitting that sweet spot he tested before with his fingers.

“Oh, God, Rob… Oh, God, oh God…!” Mark thought his high pitched moans made him sound like a girl, and they definitively would reach his dads' ears, but he couldn’t care less at the moment: Rob’s cock felt too damn good; the blunt head was rubbing against that blessed spot inside of him, making him see stars.

“Oh, f-f-f-fuck!” Robbie felt Mark’s ass clench at his cock, rhythmically. He threw his head back, feeling his orgasm build up slowly. “Oh… my… God! Mark… I’m so close… Please, tell me you’re close too...”

But Mark was already touching his own cock frantically, and with a loud moan he came hard over his chest, the contractions of his muscles drawing Robbie closer and closer to his own orgasm.

Robbie let out a single “Oh…!!!” and managed to ride the rest of his orgasm quite silently, collapsing over Mark and breathing heavily against his neck. He withdrew from him, threw the condom at the side of the bed, hoping it would land in the paper basket, and collapsed back over Mark; he could feel his lover’s frenzied heart slow down, and was about to say something deep and meaningful, but Mark burst out in laughter.

“Wh- why are you laughing?” asked Robbie, starting to smile himself.

“Oh, sorry, Rob, it's just that--" more giggling. “I was so nervous, and then it was great! And now I feel so... happy! I-I have a giggle attack!”

“But Mark, I’m in a very emotional post-orgasm state here, could you please be more considerate?” And they both laughed now, loud and careless, clear and innocent laughter.

“I can be emotional, too.” Mark hugged Robbie tightly and said “You look so beautiful when you cum. Like a fucking sex god.”

“Oh, Markie… And you are the most beautiful person I’ve ever fucked, and that’s saying a lot.”

“Aww!” He cuddled against Rob’s chest and soon they were both asleep.

  


…………….


	3. Chapter 3

“You are NOT showering together” Howard surprised Mark and Robbie furtively entering the bathroom hand in hand. “And don’t insist. I might be a tolerant dad, but don’t test me or I can be as awful as Jason. Is that clear, Robbie?”

“Oh, yes, sir, very clear. It would be rude to abuse the trust you and Mr. Orange deposited in me.”

“That goes for you as well, Mark. And you left the telly on last night!”

“Sorry, dad. Then I’ll shower first.” Mark gave Robbie a quick peck on the lips and disappeared behind the bathroom door.

“And I can shower after Mark” Robbie smiled at Howard.

“Sure, or you can shower at your own place” Jason approached them with two mugs of fresh coffee in his hands, offering one to his husband.

“Yes, I could, but honestly, sir, I stink, after all that sweating of last night, and I think it would be better if I—“

“Robbie” Howard interrupted him “, you’ve heard Jay. And don’t be so cheeky. You only stayed last night, that doesn’t mean you’re already part of the family.”

“But I am! I’m almost MARRIED to Mark!”

Jason choked on his coffee, and stared blankly at Robbie “You are certainly NOT.”

“Oh... alright, then… I think I’ll leave now. I’ll call Mark later.”

Robbie put the rest of his clothes on and walked angrily towards the house' back door, passing through the kitchen, where he grabbed a bunch of bananas and a bun. “They could at least invite me breakfast! Guess I can take these, then… I know when I’m not welcomed, thank you very much!” he mumbled as he left the house.

“Robert, isn’t it?”

Robbie looked around and saw a blonde fit boy approaching him through the garden. He was wearing a light blue button up shirt, white trousers and brown leather shoes. ‘What a twat' Robbie thought, and then he recognized him.

“I know you from somewhere".

“Hi” the blonde boy reached to shake Rob’s hand, smiling “I’m Mr. Orange and Mr. Donald’s neighbour. Or must I say: I’m Mark’s friend. Gary”.

Robbie stuck in his mouth the bun he was holding and shook this boy’s hand. “Oh, yeah, hi” he managed to say while chewing.

“I live in that house over there. We met at Mark’s birthday”.

“Yeah, I remember. You bought him that weird fluffy sweater. Can you believe it looks good on him? Mark can rock _anything._ ”

“Ha ha, yeah. I… I understand you and Mark are... dating, now.”

“It's more than just dating. Our relationship is quite serious.” Robbie finished his bun and stared at Gary, studying his reaction.

“Oh, really? That’s... wonderful.” Gary’s smile tensed.

“Actually...” Robbie smiled widely, while peeling a banana “we are getting married!”

Gary’s face turned white.

Robbie took a big bite of the banana and walked towards his car. “Shee, ya, Gawy!” he said with his mouth full.

Gary forced a smile. “Yeah, see ya.”

  


………………………….

  


Gary stood there, in front of the house, trying to understand how such responsible and caring dads like Howard and Jason would let their son marry that punk! He took a deep breath before ringing the bell.

“Oh, hi, Gary, how are you?” Jason beamed a smile, pleased to see his favourite neighbour.

“Fine, fine, I came to say hello to Mark before I go to work. And I-I’ll like to speak with you and Howard, about… something I’ve heard.”

“S-sure, come on in.” Jason studied Gary’s face, starting to get worried. “Come have a cuppa, some organic fruit salad…”

“Thanks.”

They went to the living room where Howard was reading the paper without much interest.

“Gary, nice to see you! Here, have a bun”.

“Thanks, Howard” Gary sat and started to eat eagerly. “I should quit these, though; I’m trying to lose some weight” he laughed, nervously.

Howard smiled warmly at him, and looked at his husband inquisitively.

“So, you wanted to speak with us about something?” Jason asked, pouring some coffee in a clean mug and handing it to Gary.

“Yes, well… It’s not easy for me to talk about these things, but I consider you to be my friends, especially Mark, and that’s what I want to talk to you about. I’m a bit worried about... I know it's none of my business, but I don’t think this _Robbie_ could be a good… companion to Mark, and definitively you shouldn’t, I mean if I were you, I wouldn’t allow my son to marry such a boy.”

Jason and Howard stared at him with a blank expression, and then burst out laughing.

“Marry Rob?! Why would you think that? You've heard they were getting married?” asked Howard still laughing.

“I just had a short conversation with Robert and he told me so”.

“Oh, so he really thinks he’s going to marry Mark, uh? That kid has quite an imagination. Gary,” Jason said, putting a hand on Gary’s shoulder “I can _assure_ you, we won’t let that happen. Mark it's still too young anyway. Of course, if he started dating someone else, someone, let’s say, more serious, more responsible, someone who knew what he wants in life, with a promising career, a stable life…”

“Yeah, someone with short blonde hair and a house just across the street, right, Jay?” Howard lifted an eyebrow and stared at Jason with half a smile on his lips; he found this whole matter amusing.

Gary looked embarrassed, but he was relieved the news weren’t true, and happy to have Jason on his side. He was sure they knew he was quite in love with their son, and he was ready to do anything to win over Mark’s heart. Of course that would take some time, seeing how crazy the boy was about this Robbie lad, but Gary always got what he wanted through perseverance, and he was sure that with patience he would get Mark as well. After all Gary felt pretty confident; he had a good job, he was making quite some money, and he had a lovely body as well! Though his sweet tooth could put that in danger.

“Where’s Rob?” Mark’s cheerful voice came from behind him, and Gary turned around to find a very wet, very half-naked Mark with only a towel around his hips. Gary felt his cheeks turn into two red hot dots.

“Good morning, Mark.”

“Oh, hi, Gary. So, has Robbie left?”

“Yes, he seemed to be late for something because he left in a hurry.” Jason said while eating his fruit salad.

“Maybe he was late for work” added Howard. “He said he’d call you later”. He didn’t want to hide information from his son, but tried as well to stay neutral on this matter.

“Oh, ok. I better get dressed, then. I'll have me some eggs, please, daddy How?” Mark flashed a smile at Gary and went to his room. 'Well, someone's really happy this morning' Gary thought.

“Gary, why don’t you drive Mark to school after breakfast? He’s already late and we’ll need our car.”

“Really?” Howard asked puzzled while he served Mark’s eggs on a plate. “I thought you didn’t have to go to the office today.”

Jason ignored his husband, and pushed Gary towards Mark’s room. “Come on, Gaz, just knock and tell him you’ll like to drive him to school, and you can have a little chat" Jason patted his shoulder encouragingly and left.

Gary knocked.

“Come in!”

He entered the room and was assaulted by the scent of soap, shampoo and, underneath, the unmistakable smell of sex. He felt silly for not having considered that before entering the room, but of course Mark and Robbie have had sex last night, why wouldn’t they? He immediately wanted to leave, but the sight of Mark’s still shirtless body, his hair sparkling with little droplets of water, and the fact that, besides Robbie’s he could smell Mark’s fluids in the air, convinced him to stay, though he felt oddly perverse. He took a sit on the bed, over the tangled sheets.

“Hey, Gaz, can you take me to school on your car? Usually I’d go with Rob, but…”

“Yes, of course” he smiled. “ Umm… So, does Robbie still go to school, or…?”

“No, he works.” Mark sat on the bed next to him to put on his shoes. “He dropped out of school last year. He wasn’t doing very well anyway, and needed to make some money.” Mark’s expression went dead serious. “Robbie and his family are going through some tough times. Now their only support is Rob.” Mark bit his lip. “That’s why it makes me so mad when me dads start saying he’s not a responsible person and all that crap! If they only knew…!”

Gary was shocked to see Mark so livid. He looked down a bit embarrassed.

“But, Mark, let’s be fair, I’ve heard things about him, things your dads told me, that…”

“What?! Things like that time when we sneaked into that store at night and the police came and we almost ended up in jail? He used to work there and they fired him still owing him his pay. So he told me he was going in to get his money, it was only fair, and I wanted to go as well; I wouldn’t let him go there alone.” Mark said while putting on his shirt. “They must have told you about the ‘incident’ at the football match as well, am I right?” Mark smiled bitterly. “We just hugged each other, that’s all, we didn’t even kissed, but those blokes could see through; I guess they weren’t as dim as they looked. And they wanted to beat the hell out of us. But Robbie has some balls, alright: he didn’t even flinch at the terrible things they yelled at us. I was quite scared, but he protected me, even though I didn’t need him to.” He lifted his head with pride.

“But he got into a fight with hooligans instead of just walking away! Look, Mark, I understand that you love him, and he must love you very much, but that’s no excuse to expose you to such dangers; you are just a kid-”

“So is he. People shouldn’t forget that.”

  


…………………………

  


They drove in silence. Gary hated himself for ruining it all by talking about Robbie; that lad was problematic even as a subject of conversation. But not everything had being in vain: he was sure the sight of Mark’s body and the scent of his room would stay with him for a long time, keeping him company through his lonely nights.

........................................


	4. Chapter 4

As the day faded away, Robbie drove home, anxious to grab the phone and talk to Mark. He had quite a shitty day at his new shitty job. Only the memory of last night kept his good mood alive.

He kissed his mom’s cheek, gave some money to his sister and ate some leftovers before locking in his room to call Mark.

“Yes?”

“Hello, sir. Can I speak to Mark, please?”

Jason rolled his eyes and called out his son.

“Is it for me!?”

“Yes!”

Mark took the call in the library upstairs, where he had been studying for an exam. “Hi, Rob!”

“How did you know it was me?”

“Because we are _bonded_.”

“Ah. That explains a lot of things. Hold on a sec.”

“…”

“… Alright.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing, I just wanted to make sure your dad wasn’t listening. But just in case: Jason Orange, you’re a wanker!”

“’Ey!”

Robbie giggled “Sorry. It's just that I’m not liking your dads very much, lately. They were quite rude to me this morning, ...which, in a way I can understand, after last night.”

“We were a bit noisy, weren’t we?”

“Mmm, but it was worth it.”

“Fuck, yes, it was.”

They both sighed at the same time. Then chuckled.

“We ARE _bonded_!”

“Told you. And what did my dads said to you?” asked Mark.

“Umm, nothing really, they just told me I couldn’t shower there, and then they sent me home, but in a very rude way! Oh, and they said something else, too: that I shouldn’t think of myself as a part of your family because I wasn’t.”

“Oh” Mark frowned “, but you are, to me.”

“Really?” Robbie smiled, delighted “Then I was right when I said we were almost _married_. Because, in a way, we are, like you said, bonded. I mean… aren’t we?”

Mark smiled, his eyes getting wet “'Course we are.” He sighed and stayed quiet for a while.

Robbie started to feel nervous and afraid he went too far this time, mentioning the word “married”. He wasn’t sure what to say next, and how to break that awkward silence, but after a moment he dared to ask “You alright, Markie?”.

“Yeah… Yeah.” Mark sniffed.

“Are you crying?” Robbie asked softly.

“Umm... maybe.”

“Markie, did I upset you?”

“No, no, it’s just… I don’t know, I wish we could get together more often. Like right now. Wanna hug you, Rob.”

Now were Robbie’s eyes that got teary.

“Mark, I’m gonna ask you something, and I want you to be completely honest, alright? Even if that breaks my heart, but, please, I need you to be honest, yes?”

“Of course” Mark braced himself, waiting for Robbie’s question.

“Alright... What if I ask you to... marry me? I mean, really married, with papers and everything.”

“…” Mark couldn’t believe Robbie actually asked him THE question.

“…M-Mark?”

“God, Robbie! I… Y-Yeah! Yeah!” Mark jumped up and down, feeling ecstatic. This was SO wrong, but so _right_.

“Really!? REALLY!? YES!!! HE SAID YES!!! I’M GONNA MARRY MARK OWEN!!! MARK OWEN!!!” Robbie was bouncing on his mattress, yelling at the window, wanting the entire neighbourhood to know the news.

Mark laughed out loud listening how his future husband went mental. “Fuck, I so want to snog you”.

“And I so want to fuck you. C’mon, let’s have our honey moon in advance.” Robbie made a dirty motion with his hips, oblivious to the fact that Mark couldn’t see him.

“Right now?”

“Yeah!”

Mark knew his dads wouldn’t let him go to Robbie’s at that time, after all it was almost midnight, but if he had to sneak out jumping from the window to see him, he would. “Oh, ok! In your place?”

“Umm…” Robbie looked around, scratching his head. They used his room before, but always for a quick wank or blowjob, and only when they were alone; now his mom and sister were there, watching telly just a few steps from the bedroom’s door. But he still had no money to go to a motel with Mark. So it was this room, or the car. “Don’t you mind? The walls are paper thin, but I’ll manage to make us some privacy. After all we did it in your place last night; I guess it’s only fair to do it in mine, now.”

“Alright, then.”

“Wait, will your dads let you come at this hour?”

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll jump from the window. They’ll never notice I’m out, I told them I’d be studying all night.”

Robbie chuckled “That’s my boy!”

He hung up the phone, tidied the room a little, and suddenly had an idea: he would give Mark a little surprise. He called one of his old mates from school.

“Yeah?”

“Hi, Robbie here.”

“Rob! haven't heard of you in a while. You need something?”

“I do, but I don’t have the money for it.”

“Oh, c’mon, Rob, you know that’s no problem. But weren’t you clean now?”

“Yes, I am! I don’t want that stuff. Listen…”

  


………………….

  


Mark checked himself in front of the bookcase’s glass doors and smiled at his reflection. He faced the window. He opened it, looked down and swallowed. It’s not that high, he thought, he’ll just have to grab hold of that tree’s branch and land on his feet in the right way. He took a deep breath and jumped.

The tree branch slowed down his fall, but when his feet touched the ground he felt a sharp pain. “ _Fuck_!” he whispered. He grabbed his right ankle and squeezed softly. It hurt, but nothing was broken. He walked quietly to the side of the house, where he left his bicycle that afternoon, and climbed on it.

After a while the pain on his ankle reduced to a small sting now and then, thanks to the adrenaline running through his body. He started to think about what kind of life he and Robbie would have once they’d get married. He realized this sort of sneaking-out-of-his-house-to-see-Rob wasn’t very practical. “Then my dads would have to accept Rob in the family”, he thought; there was no other option. "Rob could live with us, until I start to work and we save enough money to rent a place together". Yeah, he had everything sorted out by the time he got to Robbie’s. Although he wasn’t prepared to see what he saw.

  


…………………………

  



	5. Chapter 5

Robbie was talking to a boy in front of his house. Mark got off of his bike and watched them from a few houses away, a bit puzzled. They were in a transaction of some sort, Mark noticed, and started to wonder of what kind when he saw the boy’s face. Mark knew him, from school. Ramsey was his name, and he learned to avoid this boy as the plague. Everybody knew the boy sold drugs to other kids, drugs and other stuff, mostly stolen. Mark had no idea Ramsey and Robbie knew each other. Mark never saw them together, back when Robbie went to school, and Rob never even mentioned him to Mark.

He panicked. Concealed by the darkness under a tree, he watched how Robbie put something in his pocket and then waved Ramsey goodbye, then lit a cigarette and waited for Mark. Afraid he might be seen hiding under that tree, Mark stepped out of the shadows, approaching him. He had no idea of what to say to Rob, he didn’t even know what to make of this whole situation.

“Markie! Oh, come here.” Robbie hugged him tightly and then kissed him. Mark responded partially. “What’s wrong?”

“Rob, from where do you know this Ramsey?” Mark asked with a blank face.

“Oh, him? You saw us? Where were you, hidden somewhere?” Robbie frowned.

“Yeah, I guess I was. Are you friends with him?”

“God, I don’t know, I guess we are” he shrugged, trying to act naturally, but in fact Mark’s odd tone and expressionless face started to freak him out.

“Oh… Since when?”

“Couple of years, I don’t know, why are we having this conversation? We should be inside, snogging and touching and tearing our clothes off.”

“Uh, well, I don’t feel like doing that, right now. I-I don’t even know _who_ you are. You knew this bloke, this filthy drug dealer scum, and couldn’t even tell me. You are... on drugs, and you couldn’t even tell me. That... that's fucked! You hide stuff from me, but you want to marry me? I-I don't even know how I feel about this."

"Mark, please--"

"I'm sorry, I-- " Mark turned around quickly to hide his teary eyes and rode his bike home. He didn’t look back to see the pained expression on Robbie’s face.

 

………………………

“Oh, God, Mark, you’re alright. I admit I panicked, though you were only gone for an hour or so, but Howard kept saying you were alright, probably with Robbie, which only worried me more--.”

“Jason, shut up and help your son, can’t you see he’s limping?”

“What is it, you hurt your leg?”

“My ankle, it's bloody killing me!”

Jason and Howard looked at each other concerced.

“Mark, where were you? Please, don’t tell me you and Robbie planned to do something stupid and probably criminal, _again_. Is that how you hurt your ankle?” Howard helped him get to the couch, while Jason went to the kitchen to get some ice for Mark’s ankle.

“No. No, I went to see him, but... But here I am. And you shouldn’t worry 'cause I won’t sneak out to Rob’s in a while... Probably never again.” Mark said, frowning.

“Ah, you had a fight" Howard smiled sympathetically.

“Yeah.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“I… I don’t feel comfortable talking about it with you”.

Howard felt like a punch in the guts. “I always wanted you to trust me, son, you know, like a friend. That’s how I imagined me being a father, more like being a friend. But I guess it's my fault you don’t see me like one.”

Mark felt guilty, and hurriedly said: “I do trust you, dad! Look, I-I’ll tell you.”

“Do you want to tell me, too?” Jason approached them cautiously.

“Sure” Mark smiled, joyless.

Jason covered Mark’s swollen ankle with an ice bag, and listened.

 

………………………….

 

“Sorry, he doesn’t feel like talking to you.”

“B-but, please, just a minute, I need to talk to him, _please_! This is the nineteenth time I call this morning—“

“And you’re driving us crazy! Look, Robbie, I have nothing against you, but if Mark decides not to talk to you for a while, I think we should all respect his decision, don't you think?”

“...Yes, sir. I understand.”

“Alright, then. Goodbye, Robbie.” Howard hung up the phone. He felt sorry for the lad, but he also thought it would be good for him and Mark to be apart.

Robbie didn’t agree. He was determined to make Mark listen. He decided to go to his house, and if he had to yell at Mark from the street, he would. Anything, to make the kid listen.

 

…………………………………….


	6. Chapter 6

“He proposed you???” Gary seemed horrified.

“Yeah. And I accepted. But I won’t marry him, now. I just keep wondering all the stuff I don’t know about him.”

Gary paced through Mark’s room, deep in thought. “You are aware you can’t get married being underage, are you? Not without your dads' permission.”

“Oh. Didn’t think about that. But doesn’t matter now, does it?” Mark smiled sadly.

Gary sat on his bed, at his side. “How’s your ankle?” he asked.

“Terrible. But my dad Jay gave me this painkiller-cream-thing.” Mark took a cream tube from the nightstand.

“Can I?”

Mark nodded and handed the tube to his neighbour. Gary poured some of the cream on his hands and rubbed Mark’s ankle carefully, while they listened to the soft tunes coming from the stereo in Mark’s room.

“It’s a delicate matter, if he’s on drugs. He’ll need help.” Gary said.

“I know. I can help him, if he lets me.”

“Oh, I don’t think you can be of any help. He needs to see a professional, a therapist. And go to a clinic.”

“And how long do people stay in those clinics?”

“It depends. But a long time, I guess. A very long time. Could you survive without him?” Gary asked half joking.

“Yeah, I can.” Mark answered, though he wasn’t very sure.

Gary chuckled. “I guess you've learned your lesson and will never try to sneak out again.”

“I know I’m not jumping from a window again.”

“Well, that’s good enough. Mark, you weren’t serious when you accepted his marriage proposal, were you?”

“Y-yeah, I was. Why? Is it that crazy?”

“Yes, it is! Look at you, you’re just a kid! You should be enjoying your youth, having some fun-- _safe_ fun , not planning your future with a boy you barely know.”

Mark flinched at that. But he had to agree; he barely knew Rob, didn’t he?

“Guess you’re right. Maybe it was all just a whim.” Mark covered his face with his hands and sighed. “Maybe Rob was a whim of mine, just to annoy me dads.”

Gary watched him carefully. “I don’t know, Mark, you tell me”.

Mark covered his eyes with his arm and started to lightly hum along the song that started playing on the radio.

‘ _Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling,_

_Do you feel my heart beating?_

_Do you understand?_

_Do you feel the same?_

_Am I only dreaming,_

_Is this burning an eternal flame?’_

  


Gary watched Mark, suddenly a bit moved.

  


‘ _I believe it's meant to be, darling,_

_I watch you when you are sleeping,_

_You belong with me,_

_Do you feel the same?_

_Am I only dreaming,_

_Or is this burning an eternal flame?’_

  


He stared at the walls, counting all the pictures of Mark and Robbie, and some of Robbie alone, stuck with scotch tape to the posters of Mark’s favourite footballers and bands. He felt sorry for Mark, but he was glad the lovebirds’ paradise started to fall apart. It was just a matter of time, he thought, until Mark noticed why everybody alerted him about Robbie. That kid was trouble, and he wasn’t good enough for Mark, as simple as that. For a second Gary wondered if he was any better, seeing how he was trying to take advantage of Mark’s vulnerable state, but he brushed that thought away from his head. He preferred to see himself as Mark’s good friend, his counsellor, even his saviour, and soon-to-be boyfriend.

He caressed Mark’s knee. “Can I try to make you smile?”

Mark opened an eye, curious. “I dare you to. I’ll even give you a prize if you succeed.”

Gary searched in his jacket’s pocket and pulled out a pair of gloves. He then started to intertwine the fingers of a glove with the other’s in an intricate way. Finally he shoved a hand into this knot of gloves, and suddenly it looked like a creature of some sort.

“Here.”

“What is it?” Mark looked at the improvised puppet with a smile playing on his face.

“Why, it’s a penguin, of course!” Gary made the penguin puppet make a little dance. “I got tons of hidden talents, Markie boy, I’m a surprise after another!”

Mark laughed wholeheartedly. “You are, Gaz, you are!”

They both laughed. Gary took off the glove-puppet and placed it on Mark’s nightstand. “There, he’ll keep you company. I have to go now.”

Mark swung an arm around Gary’s neck and kissed his cheek. “Here’s your prize. Thanks, Gaz.”

Gary smiled and turned away before Mark could see his flushing face.

  


…………………………..

  


Robbie stared at Mark’s window from the street for a while. He thought he saw this Gary lad there, laughing and talking to Mark.

“So, you feel like talking to this bloke but not to me, ‘ey, Markie?”. He finished his cigarette and saw Gary coming from Mark’s house. “Well, hello, Gary, how are we this morning?” Robbie said smiling sardonically.

“Oh, hello, Robert.” Gary went straight to his house, trying to ignore Robbie, who followed him.

“You must know, seeing how close you are to Mark, that he doesn’t want to speak to me. So I thought I’d ask _you_ how he is. Tell me, ‘Gaz’, how is he?”

“Look, pal, I don’t like your tone.”

“What about this one, then?” Robbie said with a nasal voice.

“I don’t find you amusing at all. And if you cared about your boyfriend you wouldn’t encourage him to sneak out from home in the middle of the night. He could have broken his neck, jumping from that window. Fortunately he only hurt his ankle.”

“Oh… is he alright?”

“Yes, he is. Now leave him alone, will you?!” Gary turned his back at him, looking for his keys.

“You don’t tell me what to do.” Robbie whispered in his ear “I know your kind, fatty; you’re only waiting for our relationship to fail, so you can lay your chubby hands on him. But don’t waste your time, Mark has a very good taste in men, as you can see. He wouldn’t even touch you with a stick.”

Gary turned around and tried to hit him. Robbie avoided the first blow, but wasn’t fast enough to avoid the second one.

“Couldn’t see that coming, did you, _Robbie_?!” Gary smirked “You must think I never get my hands dirty with scum like you, but I do, when I have to. I know how to deal with punks like you. Now you leave Mark alone, you hear me? The last thing he needs in his life is a junkie, lazy bum like you.”

Robbie swallowed hard and cleaned the blood off his nose. “You’ll pay for this, you’ll pay.”

He wasn’t going to assume his defeat so easily. He crossed the street and started to yell at Mark’s closed window. “Come on, Markie!!! I need to talk to you!!! MARK!!!”

Gary shook his head and entered his house.

Mark, who witnessed everything, decided to give Robbie a chance. He opened the window. “Alright, but you got only a minute.”

Robbie looked at Gary’s house and smiled before approaching Mark’s window. “Aren’t you gonna let me in?”

“You can talk from there, can’t you?”

“Are you still mad at me? Why? Because you think I’m a junkie, is that it?”

Mark looked at him compassionately. “I know you are, Rob. There’s no point in denying it.”

“But I’m NOT, not anymore. And please, Mark, stop looking at me with compassion. I don’t like people feeling sorry for me.”

“... Look, I know you need help, Rob, and I’m not angry at you, I’m just hurt because you didn’t trust me. But I’m not judging you, honest.”

Robbie smirked. “Oh, but you ARE judging me. Just like everybody else, like your daddies, like your soddin’ neighbour. Did you really have to tell him? Did you tell everybody? Does the rest of the neighbourhood know? I can help you spread the news, Mark, look: I’M A FILTHY JUNKIE!! A FUCKING DRUG ADDICT!!! OH, AND A LAZY BUM, TOO!!! There, happy now?”

“Rob, please, you’re making an arse of yourself.”

Robbie opened his mouth to reply, but he just angrily walked away.

  


………………………………

  



	7. Chapter 7

Robbie couldn’t sleep. He grabbed his walkman, put the headphones on and listened to some random radio station, trying to distract himself. He wasn’t angry anymore; he just couldn’t sleep knowing his relationship with Mark was dangerously close to an end, if it didn’t end already. He really loved his Markie, more than all his other friends, or the lovers he had before all put together, and, boy! they were quite a few.

He got up from bed and took out from his jacket’s pocket the little package Ramsey gave to him. He opened it and there they were: two gold rings, or at least they looked like gold; he’ll have to check that before paying for them. They were stolen, of course, but he felt he and Mark deserved those rings more than the original owners, anyway. He wondered if he’ll ever have a chance to give Mark his ring: he still wanted to marry him.

Rob lay on his bed, listening to some Hair Metal ballad they were playing a lot lately, and toyed with the rings.

‘ _I guess this time you're really leaving,_

_I heard your suitcase say goodbye,_

_Well as my broken heart lies bleeding,_

_you say true love is suicide._

  


_You say you've cried a thousand rivers,_

_And now you're swimming for the shore,_

_You left me drowning in my tears,_

_And you won't save me anymore._

  


_Now I'm praying to God you'll give me one more chance, girl._

  


_I'll be there for you,_

_These five words I swear to you,_

_When you breathe I want to be the air for you,_

_I'll be there for you...'_

  


He thought about Gary: Were they such good friends with Mark? Was Gary really trying to take his place in Mark’s life?

“Do you fancy him, Markie? Do you like him because he has money? He is quite fit, though. I can’t blame you if you fancy him. I would, if I were you. Why am I talking to myself? I should be talking to you; I should call you right now.” He pulled out the headphones and grabbed the phone, dialling Mark’s number, praying not to wake Mark’s fathers.

Mark picked up half through the first ring. “Rob?”

“Markie…”

“God, I so wanted it to be you.”

“Please, listen to me: when our friendship started to get more serious I decided to quit everything, Mark, all the stuff I was taking. And I did. And, believe me, you were a big help during those days. You were my only incentive to stop taking all that shit. I really felt I didn’t need to cloud my brain with drugs when we were together.”

“Um, ok.” Mark said with a strained voice.

“And yes, I know this lad, Ramsey, but he’s no monster, Mark, he’s just a lost kid, a bit like myself. He never pushed me to take anything, and he helped me many times making me favours, like the other day, when you saw us. I asked him if he could get something for me, something I want to give you. Something special.”

Mark was afraid this might be all a big lie, but he so wanted to believe it. “Something special? Like what, a gift?”

“Mmm, yeah, you could say it's a gift.”

“Oh. What is it?”

“Can’t tell you. Must show you.”

“Ok, then show me. Tomorrow, after school. Can you?”

“I’ll wait for you in the park across the school, on the bench I put my signature on.”

“Alright… Rob?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry. And I don’t care if you ever have troubles of any kind, I’ll stand by you, ok? I just want you to trust me. But I’ll never leave you, Rob. You’re like my soul brother, my soulmate.”

“Aww, Markie… Though you calling me a soul brother makes me feel a bit incestuous. But I love you anyway.”

“I love you, too. Good night!”

“Night-night.”

Rob hung up and smiled. “Couldn’t see THAT coming, did you, Gary?”

…………………………

  


Before starting to talk they had a long snog; they deserved it after all.

“Mmm, it’s nice to kiss you here in the middle of nature. Do you remember when we first kissed? It was here in this park.”

“Sure I remember. Now give me my surprise!”

“Oh, you, materialistic boy, you!”

Robbie searched for the little package in his coat, delaying the moment on purpose. Mark was really excited, smiling with his tongue between his teeth.

“Oh, c’mon, c’mon!”

“Give me your hand.”

Mark did as he was told, and Robbie deposited two little cold objects on it. Mark looked at these little metal things and his eyes grew wide.

“Oh, fuck, Robbie, we are _really_ getting married, aren’t we?”

“Y-y-you don’t want to? I-if you changed your mind, i-i-it’s alright, I--“

“God, no, I haven’t. We are going to get married, Rob. We are going to get married! Wow... Wow!” And then he remembered what Gary had told him. “Oh, but we can’t. We need our parent’s consent to do it. And we’ll never get my dads permission, that’s for sure. They never trusted you much, and with the stuff I told them about you the other night… Sorry about that...”

Robbie swallowed hard. “It’s alright, Markie. We can wait” he smiled wickedly “,or… we can go to this place, you know, where everybody gets married no matter whom or what or anything, you know, it’s like Vegas. I bet they marry kids like us all the time.”

“B-but, isn’t it crossing the border?”

“Yes. But is not that far. We could get there in like 12, 15 hours, by car.” He smiled his cheeky smile “I got my car over there. With the tank full” and he raised his eyebrows inquisitively.

Mark looked at the rings one more time before saying: “Let’s go!”

  


………………….

  



	8. Chapter 8

  


They’ve been driving for a while now, but their spirits where still very high, both excited and anxious to reach their destination.

“Funny, isn’t it?” Robbie said, smiling.

“What’s funny?”

“The law says it’s ok for me to drive a car, or have a job, but I have to be over 18 to get married.”

“Not where we’re going.” Mark kissed Robbie’s cheek and started stroking his thigh.

“God, Mark! You have to tell me before you do something like that!” Rob smiled but tried to keep calm and focused on the road ahead, not wanting his cock to grow any harder.

“Aww, look, I gave you a stiffy! Lovely.”

“Lovely?! I have to concentrate here, it’s a complex and dangerous task, driving.”

“Then let’s take a break.”

Without hesitation Robbie stopped the car at the side of the road, and Mark didn’t waste any time; he unfastened Rob’s trousers and started to stroke his fully hard cock.

They kissed eagerly, Robbie moaning into Mark’s mouth. It didn’t take long for Rob, just a few more strokes and he came, shooting his load onto Mark’s hand.

“Jesus, you really wanted to."

“Sorry, is this whole marriage thing; I never thought it would be such a turn on.”

“You’re right about that!” Mark opened his own trousers, pulling out his rock-hard cock, while he licked Robbie’s cum off his fingers.

“Oh, you filthy little pixie! Here, let me…” Robbie grabbed Mark’s cock and lowered his head, swallowing it in its entire length.

“Oh, God, fuck, yes!!! Oh, God!!!” Mark couldn’t last much longer, either; Robbie’s mouth was too damn hot, and he sucked too damn hard. He came in a matter of seconds.

Robbie swallowed and licked his cock clean, then fastened Mark’s trousers. They kissed deeply, tasting each other’s cum.

“Mmm, that was hot.” Mark had that dreamy face Robbie adored.

“Alright, let’s keep going, then; we still have a long way to go.”

  


………………..

  


It was getting dark, and their bellies started to growl.

“I swear, if I don’t eat something right now I’ll die. Seriously, Mark. I know you can go without food for days before you even notice you’re hungry, but believe me: you are hungry, too. The first gas station we see it’s our next stop.”

“ ’kay, babe.”

They stopped at a big diner, between coaches that loaded and unloaded their charge of passengers. The place was a bit crowded and noisy, but they managed to get quite a decent dinner in a quiet corner. Robbie started to show signs of fatigue, so their conversation wasn't as excited as it was during the previous part of the trip.

 

"I can drive for a while, if you want." Mark offered.

"Oh, that would be great, Markie, cause I'm knackered." Robbie was already rubbing his eyes, unable to stay awake for much longer.

 

When they exited the diner the sky was completely covered in heavy dark-red clouds. The air was sticky, humid and smelling of ozone. They got back in the car, this time Mark behind the wheel, and almost immediately Robbie dozed off, leaving Mark on his own.

 

He lost track of time very quickly. There was nothing interesting to look at; at the sides, only grass and a few animals in the distance, and right ahead, the black road which was almost deserted.

Robbie's steady breathing was the only sound in the car marking the passing of time. Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out. Mark felt dangerously close to falling asleep himself, and was very tempted to wake Robbie up just to have someone to talk to. "Oh, but that would be cruel, wouldn't it? Look at him, he needs some rest. Oh, dear, if I could at least listen to the radio... But that would wake him up, too. Damn, I'm so bored!" he thought.

 

Then, almost at the same time, a thunder shook the glass of the windows, the engine made a choking sound, and then died.

 

"Oh-oh."

 

Robbie stretched out and looked around, a bit disoriented. "Where are we?"

 

"In the middle of nowhere?"

 

"Why d’you stop, need to pee?"

 

"No, the… car broke down... I think."

 

"Uh?" Robbie watched how Mark tried to steer the motor awake in vain. "Alright, let's see if we can fix it." he said.

 

When Robbie opened the door a big drop of water fell over his left shoe. "Fuck."

 

The rain fell heavy and merciless while Robbie tried to fix the engine. Mark watched him from his seat, but felt useless and a bit guilty in there, safe from the rain when his lover was outside, dripping wet, so he joined him, though he wasn't of much help.

 

"There's no use, this shit is dead. I'm so sorry, Mark."

 

"No, don't be!" Mark held him close. "We'll find a way to get there."

 

“Maybe we should think of getting back.”

 

“Uh-uh, no way.”

 

Robbie smiled at him, and tried to cover Mark's face from the rain. "Oh, you're soaked wet! Get in the car, come on."

 

"What for? I'm already drenched. And so are you. 'Ey, we can take one of those buses we saw at the diner!"

 

"Oh." Robbie searched for his wallet in the car and looked inside. "Uh, d'you have some money?"

 

"Yeah, don't worry, I can pay us some bus tickets."

 

"It's a long walk to the diner, Markie. Are you sure you can manage, with your foot all wrong?"

 

"My ankle's fine! Come on, let's go."

 

They grabbed Mark's school bag and their coats from the car, and there they left it. "Nobody's going to bother stealing that piece of junk." Robbie said, kicking one of the tires.

 

But the walk wasn't as easy as they've thought. The air, which was steady and warm before the rain, became chilly and windy very quickly. The rain drops were so heavy and fell so fast they felt like bullets dropping over them, and after a while Mark's ankle started to sing its agonizing song again, making it impossible for him to take another step. Robbie carried him piggyback and kept walking, hoping for one of the few cars that passed by them to slow down and take pity of them, offering for a ride.

 

Just as he thought about it, a car stopped right next to them, and the driver lowered the window.

 

"Oh, god, look at you two! What do you think you're doing, walking under the rain?" the man behind the wheel watched them sympathetically. 

 

"We... we need to... take a... bus." answered a breathless Robbie.

 

"A bus? Wouldn't a car ride be better?" he smiled at them, showing his teeth.

 

There was something about this man that made Robbie's skin crawl, but he couldn't take a step forward. He put Mark on the floor again and consulted him:

 

"What do you think, do we get into this guy's car? He looks creepy." he said into Mark's ear.

 

"He does… but I don't think he's a crazy psycopath or anything... and we don't have too many options, Rob. We'll never manage to get to the diner like this."

 

"We can try our luck with another car."

 

"Come on, Rob, who's gonna stop? We have to take what we can." He took Robbie's hand in his and led him to the stranger's car, who had already opened an inviting door.


	9. Chapter 9

"Thanks a lot, sir. We really appreciate this. Really." Mark said, frankly, while they sat down on the back seats.

 

"No problem, boys. So, I'm heading this way, is that the way you're going?"

 

"Yeah, actually it is." said Robbie.

 

"Very well." The man studied them from the mirror. "I'm Nigel, by the way."

 

"Uh, I'm Rob, and this is Mark."

 

"Hi." Mark nodded and smiled politely. He was feeling awkward in the presence of this guy, Nigel. There was something disturbing in the way he looked at them, like he was trying to imagine how their bodies were underneath their clothes. But the most disturbing thing was how cold his eyes were; there was no sexual intention in his stare. He had the look of a surgeon studying a patient, deciding where to dig his scalpel first.

Robbie noticed that, too. He reached out and held Mark's hand. They both squeezed hard.

 

"So, Rob, Mark, what are you going to do once you get where you're going?"

 

Robbie wondered if he should answer the truth, but he had no time to make up a lie: Nigel's eyes were demanding an immediate answer.

 

"We are going to get... married."

 

Nigel smiled a poisonous smile. "Oh, so _that's_ where you’re going. Nice. You are lovers, then."

 

"Y-yeah." came Mark's shaky answer.

 

Nigel accelerated suddenly. "And for how long have you been… _lovers_? You look so young and tender."

 

"We've been together for a while." Robbie said, not wanting to give him more information than necessary.

 

"A while. That's not very specific. Can you give me a clearer answer, _Rob_?" Nigel spoke in a calm, almost emotionless voice.

 

"Uh, actually, sir, I think 'a while' is a good enough answer." Robbie didn't want to play whatever game this guy was playing.

 

Nigel kept speeding up. Mark squeezed Robbie's hand and looked at him with big deer eyes. Robbie tried to calm him down by smiling his 'everything's going to be ok' smile.

 

"You're not very polite, _Rob_ , my friend. Are you nervous?" asked Nigel.

 

"No, why?" Robbie lied.

 

"Because you look all jumpy. So, let me guess: You've known each other for... two years, am I right?"

 

Mark didn't want to make him mad, so he nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

 

"Oh. But there's something new about the two of you... Let me guess again, I'm good at guessing, you see... Umm, my guess is that you have just started to get physical with each other, am I right? When was the first time you had _intimacy_?"

 

"I think, _sir_ , our intimacy is none of your busyness, _sir_." Rob said firmly.

 

"Oh, that sounded quite rude- You, Mark, you look like a nice, polite boy. Answer me this: when was the first time he _penetrated_ you? It wasn't long ago, wasn't it? I can see it in your eyes, yes..."

 

"..." Mark opened his mouth but no sound escaped from it.

 

"You don't have to say anything, Mark." Robbie passed an arm around his shoulders and held him close. He gave Nigel a nasty, piercing look, but the man just smiled.

 

" _Mark_. You are the sensitive, vulnerable one. Look how your lover tries to protect you. But there's nothing to protect you from, you are safe here. You can trust me, Mark. I'm a friend." Nigel said in his icy tone, then turned the wheel violently and the car left the road to get into a field at their right. "And even if there was a danger ahead, there's nothing your friend could do to protect you, Mark. Nothing."

 

"What are you doing?!! Where are you taking us?!!" Robbie yelled at Nigel, staring at the endless nothingness around them.

 

"Oh, this? This is a shortcut, my friend." Nigel started to laugh, a cold, humourless laugh.

 

"Slow down!!!" Robbie tried to open the doors, but they were locked. "Oh, please, we'll give you all we have, but please, let us go!"

 

"Oh, Rob, that's exactly what I want: to take from you _all_ you have."

 

Nigel stopped the car, turned around and looked at them directly in the eyes.

Robbie and Mark froze. Nigel unlocked the doors very calmly, then said:

 

"Run."

 

And so they did, hand in hand. Adrenaline and panic gave them a good kick of energy, but the rain was making the ground muddy, sticky, slowing them down, swallowing their feet at each desperate step, and Mark's ankle was still a problem.

 

"Come here, Mark!!" Robbie took him in his arms, and kept running. He had to reach for the road, but to do so he had to pass along Nigel's car. He made a rodeo, but there was no way he could reach the road before Nigel caught them.

 

"Where is he!!!???" Mark asked.

 

"I--I don't know!!!"

 

The rain created a misty curtain which made it difficult to discern figures at a distance, but then Mark saw Nigel; he was getting out of his car, holding a long, shinny object in his hand.

 

"Ohmygod..."

 

Robbie turned around to see whatever Mark saw. "OH MY GOD!!!"

 

Nigel was holding a machete, and started to chase them down. "DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN OUTRUN ME!!!??? COME ON, ROB, LEAVE HIM BEHIND AND SAVE YOUR OWN LIFE!!!"

 

Robbie wasn't fool enough to answer him, or heartless enough to do as he suggested. He would reach the road, and then... then he... He had no idea what he would do. There were no signs of life there, no cars, no trucks, nothing; that meant: no help.

But he had to keep on running, even when he stopped feeling his legs and his lungs were on fire, he had to run.

 

Nigel kept getting closer. And closer. And closer.

 

And suddenly, the sound of a car in the distance. Robbie and Mark wanted to cry of joy. The car was approaching the scene very quickly. A few more seconds, and help would be here! But Nigel's machete was _already_ here. Robbie heard the sound of the fast metal cutting the air at just an inch from his right ear.

 

Mark wanted to scream, but he couldn't. He was just too afraid to do anything but stare, with wide eyes, how Nigel swung his machete over and over, playing with them, cutting their clothes, scratching the skin underneath, but not wanting to make real damage, not yet; Nigel was just starting to have fun.

 

The car was at sight. Robbie tried to cry for help, but his throat was too dry.

The car approached them, slowed down... 

 

"YES!" they thought " HELP IS HERE!"

 

And then the car started to speed up again.

"OH GOD, NO!"

 

Mark noticed something familiar about this car, but couldn't care less at the moment. He just wanted to kiss his Robbie goodbye, one last time before the machete cut their lives into little pieces.

 

But then, miraculously, the car, instead of passing by, made a quick turn and, with a load bump, ran over Nigel.

 

Robbie and Mark stared at the scene openmouthed. Nigel's body still trembled on the floor, a few meters away, but he wasn't a menace anymore.

 

"You ok!!??" Asked a familiar voice.


	10. Chapter 10

Robbie and Mark turned around. There he was, their saviour: no other than Gary. "Do you need help, Rob? Here, let me--" and he took Mark from Robbie's arms, placing him over the car's hood.

 

"Are you alright, Mark?"

 

"Y-yeah. A bit shaky." Mark tried to smile at Gary.

 

"That's understandable." He smiled reassuringly at him. Then he turned to see where Robbie was; He was looking at Nigel's twitching body.

 

"Come on, let's go, Rob! We have nothing to do here."

 

Robbie went to the car, and looked at Gary with a blank face. "Thank you" he said, and then got in.

 

 

\--------------------

 

 

"Wow… That was quite an adventure you had. You know, that's why parents tell their children not to get into stranger's cars. Hitchhiking is THAT dangerous."

 

Robbie was about to reply something about not needing a scold right now, but instead he said : "Yes, it was a very stupid thing to do." He looked at Mark to see if he had something to say, but he was looking at the window, melancholic.

 

"What's wrong, Markie? It's all over, we're fine now." Robbie caressed Mark’s hair.

 

Mark turned and smiled at him sadly. "Yeah... I know it sounds silly, but I'm sad because of our stuff. You know, we left everything in that creep's car."

 

"You're upset because you lost your schoolbag!?" Gary asked, stunned.

 

"No, of course not. But we lost... the rings, Rob."

 

"No, we didn't." Robbie shoved a hand in his shirt's pocked and there they were: their two gold rings. Mark smiled a glorious smile.

 

"’Ey, what's that? Where did you get them from?" Gary asked with a judging tone. He suspected the origin of those rings wasn't quite legal, if they were coming from Robbie.

 

Rob just gave him a stern look.

 

"They're nice, really. Congratulations." Gary said, and he focused on the road.

 

 

They stopped at the same diner they stopped earlier, the one they wanted to get to.

 

"Alright, I'll call Jason and Howard, they must be dead worried, and then we can have a nice cup of tea.”

 

"And after that, what?" asked Robbie while he got off the car.

 

"I'll take you home, of course. You too, Rob, don't worry."

 

Robbie took Mark's hand. "Do you want to go home?"

 

Mark sighed. "I just want this whole thing to end. I'm tired, Rob. Why?"

 

"Nothing... But we are here, aren’t we? We've come this far... I mean, we could take that bus over there..."

 

"Come on, you two, don't you want a piece of cake or something?" Asked Gary from the diner's door.

 

"We're coming!" Robbie led Mark inside the diner, where they sat side by side at a table next to the window. "It's alright; if you're tired we can go home. But we did all of this to get married, and I'd hate to think we went through all this shit for nothing. To go back home, just like that..."

 

"I don't know, Rob. We can just wait for a while. Maybe all this happened for a reason."

 

Robbie looked down, but nodded. "Alright, then. We can wait... for the legal stuff." he grabbed Mark's hands "But we can make our own special wedding, just the two of us, like a symbolic thing. What do you say? You can't say no to that! We can do it in a park or something."

 

Mark smiled and kissed him. "Yeah, I like that."

 

"Oh, there you are. I'm going to phone your parent's, Mark. Umm, Rob, you want me to phone your place, too?"

 

"No, thanks."

 

"Alright then." Gary left them and walked to the pay-phone at the back of the diner.

A pretty blonde girl was cleaning the tables next to the phone. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, forgetting for a moment what he meant to do there. He tore his gaze from the girl, to focus on the task ahead; he dialled Mark’s home number. Jason’s worried voice answered right away.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Hi, Jay. Look, I found them.”

 

“Thank God!” Jason sighed. “Thank you, Gary, we can’t thank you enough for all the times you've helped our Mark. So, what happened?”

 

“Umm, he and Robbie went to get married. You know that place-”

“Ah, that’s where they went. They still want to get married? I thought their thing was over. I can’t believe Mark still wants this lad, after all Robbie is a junkie--”

Gary writhed uncomfortable and interrupted him. “I don’t really think he is. But anyway, we should –I mean, you and Howard should trust your son; he’s not dumb.”

“No, he’s just fascinated with this boy.”

“I--I disagree. His feelings are deeper than mere fascination. Jason, I saw these two together, I mean I _really_ saw them, for the first time, and they have such a… connection between them. I will never have that kind of connection with Mark. And, yes, they’ve done some pretty stupid things in the last few days, but who wouldn’t do stupid things for love? I mean, I believe if all of us just allowed them to… be together, showing them our support, mayb--“

“Gary, Gary, me and Howard always allowed Mark and Robbie to be together. We always support our son’s relationships.”

“God, Jason, I must disagree again! You never supported his relationship with Rob. You even tried to separate them USING me, all this time knowing I’m deeply- that I’m very fond of Mark. And I played along, because I was stupid enough to think that I could make Mark fall for me. But it was wrong, Jay, it was.”

“...I can’t believe you, Gary. What happened there? You changed your mind so... radically!”

“W-What happened?.... Oh, God, what happened was… that… I’m a hero! And Robbie, he’s a hero, too!”

“WHAT!?”

“He protected Mark with his life, and he proved their love is not… something people like us should take lightly.”

“Protected Mark…? B-but he was the one who convinced Mark of running away to get married in the first place, wasn't he?”

“I don’t think Mark needed to be convinced. Jason, you’re not blind, you know I’m right.”

“…”

“Jason?”

“Yeah, I’m trying to cope with all this new information. Did you say Rob protected Mark with his life?”

“Yup.”

“Protect him from what? And why are you a hero?”

“… God, Jay, I’m running out of coins. I have to hang up. I’ll tell you more when we get there, alright? We’ll be there in a couple of hours.”

“Gary-“

“Bye bye!”

Gary hung up and sighed, relieved. He couldn’t believe it; he officially changed sides and now he was a supporter of Mark/Robbie. If someone had told him that this morning he would have laughed in their face. Although, that didn’t mean he was totally cured of his Mark obsession. He still felt a sting of pain every time he saw Robbie and Mark kissing or hugging.

  



	11. Chapter 11

Gary stood there for a moment, listening to the song coming from a radio nearby:

  


‘ _Every rose has its thorn,_

_Just like every night has its dawn,_

_Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song,_

_Every rose has its thorn…’_

  


“Oh, I’ll be alright” he said to himself.

“Sure you’ll be” said a feminine voice at his back.

Gary turned around and saw the same girl who was cleaning the tables before, smiling warmly at him. For some reason, something related to that smile and the warmth in her eyes, he didn’t mind the intrusion of his privacy. If she listened to his conversation with Jason over the phone, well, at least she already knew some stuff about him, like the fact he lost his head over a boy.

“You’re with those kids?” she pointed at Rob and Mark’s table.

“Yes” he approached her to have a better view, and saw that her beauty was really stunning and not a trick of light and make up.

“Are they alright? They look so shaky” she said with real concern.

“They had a rough night. Nothing a good cup of tea and some cake can’t fix” he said, smiling.

“Tea and cake for you, too?”

“Yes. I’m Gary, by the way”. He felt like a cheap flirt, trying to pick up this gorgeous girl in the middle of that strange night. Surely, there was something wrong with his head.

“I’m Dawn.” She studied him, and apparently was very pleased with the sight, because she winked an eye at him, before saying: “Tea and cake for three, then.”

Gary smiled to himself, feeling lighter somehow. He returned to the table, to find Mark and Robbie fast asleep against each other.

  


THE END

……………………

  


EPILOGUE

  


“Come on, you must trust me!” said Mark, with a wicked smile, his tongue sneaking between his teeth.

“I do, honest! But does it have to be tonight?”

“Oh, Robbie, you’re such a wimp. Did you prepare for this?”

“Yes.”

“And do you believe me when I say it feels fucking amazing?”

“W-well, that’s pretty subjective.”

“Rob, turn around.”

“You’re such an abusive husband!” Robbie said melodramatically, but did as he was told, lying face down on the mattress.

“And don’t you like that?” Mark sneaked a hand under Rob’s body and grabbed his swelling cock, making him moan. “Oh, yes, you do! Your cock never lies.”

“I hate my cock.”

Mark chuckled and tossed himself over Robbie’s back, giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek. “You’re so pretty like this, looking all vulnerable.”

"I'm not vulnerable" Robbie said with a smile, and closed his eyes.

Mark kissed his way down Rob’s back.

Mark’s soft hands caressing him, and his hot breath against his damp skin, made Robbie’s cock twitch, getting hard quite quickly. He tried to move his hips against the mattress, looking for friction, but Mark held him steady while he licked his lower back, getting closer and closer to his crack. He massaged Robbie’s ass cheeks, opening them, and kissed tentatively over the delicate skin. Robbie trembled as these new sensations travelled through his body. A deep moan escaped his lips when Mark’s tongue made contact with his opening, and he instinctively lifted his hips towards Mark, looking for more contact.

Mark smiled widely before delving into his task again. He circled the puckered skin with the tip of his tongue, and then lapped, hungrily, over and over. Robbie was relaxing quickly, allowing Mark’s tongue to enter slightly.

“Oh, God…” moaned Robbie.

“I think you’re ready.”

“I think I am.”

Mark took the bottle of lube and poured some on his fingers, slipping one inside of Rob and waiting until his muscles relaxed again.

“How does that feel?” he asked, moving the finger in and out.

“Not bad. It gives me goose bumps. It's interesting, I guess”. For the tone of his voice he wasn’t very impressed.

Mark pressed the tip of another finger against the tight ring of skin and waited again until Robbie’s body admitted this new intruder.

“How about this?” Mark eased his fingers in and out, and then he hooked them, rubbing Rob’s prostate; Robbie moaned and lifted his hips higher. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He kept moving his fingers, slowly, making Rob whimper a little.

“You can put another one, if you want.” said Robbie’s breathy voice, making Mark’s cock swell even more.

“Oh, yeah?” Mark asked, teasingly.

“Yeah, _please._ ”

And so he did. This time he wasn’t as delicate as before; he really wanted these preparations to end so he could start fucking Rob. The idea of being inside of him was driving Mark crazy.

Rob admitted this third finger very easily, and began to fuck himself on Mark’s fingers.

“Wow, Rob, are you eager or what?”

Robbie only made a muffled noise in reply.

Mark withdrew his fingers and reached for the little slippery lube bottle. He poured a good amount of lube over his cock, not wanting Robbie to feel uncomfortable at all, and then he pushed into him.

He almost came right away; he felt ecstatic.

“Oh my God, Rob, I’m _in_ you!” Mark was buried up to the hilt into Rob’s tight and velvet heat. He shut his eyes close and absorbed the moment, caressing Robbie’s back.

Robbie grabbed the sheets and smiled. “I’m feeling you, Mark. I’m feeling you…” he repeated, like a chant.

Mark started to move when his self control returned to him. He fucked Rob slowly, with firm thrusts, making him writhe and moan in a guttural, animalistic way. Mark was really enjoying the moment; Robbie’s powerful body, his dominant presence, his whole being, wide open beneath him, accepting him in: giving in.

Robbie reached for his own cock and squeezed it; the sheet beneath him was drenched in his pre-cum, which kept flowing in a constant trickle.

“P-please, Mark… more…” he whined.

Mark obliged, making his thrusts more forceful, picking up the pace. Now he was pounding madly into him.

Robbie held his cock tightly in his fist, feeling a powerful wave building up, very deep inside. He started to sob and moan, unable to control himself, and then he came, shooting his load onto the sheets.

Mark felt Robbie’s muscles contract around him and smiled, satisfied with himself, as he concentrated on his own orgasm; he speeded up his moves, digging his fingers in Robbie’s hips, and came, moaning loudly.

He withdrew from Robbie’s body, collapsing at his side. They were both panting heavily. Robbie trembled, his eyes closed. Mark held him in a tight embrace and kissed him deeply, slowly, reassuringly. When they parted their lips, Rob smiled.

“That WAS fucking amazing. God. I’m gonna feel that for a while.”

“Oh, yes, you will.”

Mark rubbed his nose against Robbie’s, making him giggle. “Good night, hubbie.”

“Hubbie, indeed.” Robbie touched the golden ring on Mark’s finger and smiled warmly. “Good night, Markie boy.”

And they kissed one last time before dozing off.

  


 


End file.
